Mikado
The Railroad Company "Mikado" is a group of Railroad Nomad tribes retracing the rails of much of the central regions of the US, with particular interest in the Illinois Central Railroad but not confining themselves to that particular railroad's route. Their name stems from the class name for a 2-8-2 configuration engine nicknamed the Mikado type (that is a locomotive with two wheels on one axle at the front of the locomotive, 8 driving wheels (that is 4 axles of driving wheels) and 2 trailing wheels on one axle.) The name refers to the date their first locomotive was restored to working condition after the war (2082) History In 2077, after several years of fundraising appeals and hard work from volunteers Engine No. 382, a replica of the locomotive driven by the legendary folklore hero Casey Jones was completed and a series of events scheduled to allow railfans to ride the famous engine. On October 23, 2077, Engine No. 382 was returning to stabling in Chicago when the war began and all trains stopped. The crew found themselves stranded in the middle of nowhere in the dark and they pondered upon the great engine driver. The driver, conductor, fireman and the engine's owner decided to travel along the line by foot and pick up any survivors. They found wrecked trains all along their path and brought the wounded and lost people to their train which by luck had been stranded in a sheltered mostly uninhabited valley. The kindness of the local farmers allowed the people there to survive and for a while they were safe. However, the original engine crew were restless. They had a working steam train, and they desired to continue the heroic works of their role model. On March the 1st 2082, only a few years after the war Engine No. 382 begin slowly moving out of their valley rebuilding track as they went. Passing down the stories of Casey Jones from generation to generation they began to revere him as a god. When they encountered other tribes and other working locomotives they found that others also knew of Casey Jones and the people of Engine No. 382 became leaders amongst these slowly unifying tribes. By the 2160's these tribes had found that being independent made it difficult to trade with outsiders and they formed the first major post-war railroad company. Originally called the Casey Jones Railroad it was changed to Mikado after conflicts with Wasteland Pacific (Who also consider Casey Jones their god of safeworking) who considered naming themselves after Casey Jones would treat them more favorably. Culture Mikado tribes worship the legendary hero Casey Jones as their god, and they live by a code of honour and politeness preferring not to fight unless absolutely necessary. Unlike other companies Mikado tribes have the engineer as both the spiritual and political leader, with the conductor a kind of bureaucrat or wise man, knowing all the rules and settling disputes. Every Mikado tribe member must travel to two sacred sites. The first is the site of Casey Jones' fatal wreck at Vaughan and the second his family home in Jackson Tennessee, a tradition that started when the railway line from Jackson and the Mikado's path's crossed. Relations Jackson: Mikado and Jackson have long had a standing friendship with the Railway Rovers providing track maintenance and supplies to trade along the Mikado company's large network. Trains in the Tennessee Midland Railway area are the most frequent of any working railroad. The Mikado, like all Railroad Nomads, prefer steam traction over diesel and thus have allowed the people of Jackson access to any locomotives of that type. New Memphis: A number of Mikado's techies reside in New Memphis to work on their side of the Tennessee Midland Railway line. When they're not working, they travel around and hang out with their friends from the Mississippi Traders Union. Wasteland Pacific: Mikado get along closely with Wasteland Pacific, assisting them in the construction of the Overland Route, the original Transcontinental Railroad (called The Golden Spike by both companies). Category:Groups